Decade in Dallas-Fort Worth sports was a tumultuous 10

Some things changed. At the dawn of the decade, it was the
Rangers and Stars who were sitting on the beginnings of dynasties
and the Mavericks who were in the process of being sold.

Some things stay the same. The Cowboys were in a bit of a
playoff drought and were thinking about changing head coaches.

In between, all kinds of crazy stuff happened. The NBA Finals
came to Dallas. The Texas Longhorns won the Game of the
Century.

Euless Trinity and Southlake Carroll built football dynasties
and Carroll became a cradle for college quarterbacks, while North
Texas became a cradle for gold medal-winning Olympic gymnasts. And
the decade ended with SMU - yes, SMU - receiving a bowl berth.

As we prepare to close out the "aughts," we take a look back at
the area's sporting world boons and busts, as well as some of the
decade's most shocking developments.

PERFORMERS

1. Dirk Nowitzki

Hard to believe, but he still seems to be climbing in terms of
performance, even after a decade in which he won an MVP, led the
Mavericks to the NBA Finals and matured into the team's leader. He
has seamlessly moved between three frontcourt positions.

2. Vince Young

The guy won his last 18 games as a college quarterback,
including a pair of Rose Bowls. He led Texas to its first national
championship in 35 years, and in scoring the winning touchdown on a
9-yard scramble with 19 seconds left, he staked his claim as the
greatest college football player in the state's history.

3. Nastia Liukin

The Parker gymnast won all-around Olympic gold in Beijing, as
well as team silver and two other individual medals. She also won
world championships in 2005 and 2007. She and Mary Lou Retton could
have quite an argument about who is the greatest U.S. gymnast
ever.

4. Carly Patterson

The only differences between Liukin and Patterson are that
Patterson lives in Allen and she won one fewer medal at the Athens
Games in 2004. She still walked away with all-around gold and a
team silver.

5. Colt McCoy

The winningest quarterback in NCAA history might be a touch
higher on this list if this season's BCS championship game were
played a week earlier. He finished in the top three of the Heisman
Trophy voting twice.

6. Michael Young

He played more games (1,351) and had more hits (1,662) in this
decade than any Ranger in any previous decade. He won his team's
second batting title in 2005 and was named All-Star Game MVP in
2006 - as close as the Rangers came to a postseason game in the
decade. Young hit .302 with 139 homers and 720 RBIs.

7. Jason Witten

In a Cowboys decade known more for failure than success, Witten
was the most consistently solid player. He's been named to the Pro
Bowl five times and was All-Pro the last two seasons. He's already
fifth in career receptions by a tight end. Now, if only the Cowboys
would throw to him in the red zone.

8. DeMarcus Ware

Ware was a perfect fit for the redesigned Cowboys defense under
Bill Parcells and has done nothing but improve each season. He
topped out with 20 sacks in 2008, his second consecutive All-Pro
season.

9. Mike Modano

Slowing down now, but in this decade he became the leading
career goal-scorer among American-born players. His 548 goals and
1,342 points put him 26th on both lists heading into Christmas
week.

10. Steve Nash

Though it was only after he left town that he won two MVP
awards, it was Nash's arrival and his direction of the offense that
led to the Mavericks' rebirth at the start of the decade. And his
mentoring of Dirk Nowitzki paid huge long-term dividends.

BUSTS

1. Chan Ho Park

A fly-ball pitcher coming from the NL's most pitcher-friendly
park who was all too willing to take $65 million for five years to
come to Texas? Should have been all kinds of red flags. In his 3
½ seasons with the Rangers, Park compiled a 5.79 ERA, the
highest in the majors for pitchers with at least 50 starts. A
failure in Texas of epic proportions.

2. Sean Avery

NHL's bad, er, stupid boy signed four-year, $15.5 million deal
with the Stars to bring fire and emotion to team. He lasted 23
games before uttering his infamous "sloppy seconds" remark toward
Dion Phaneuf and ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert. Avery made such a
bad impression on the team, the players didn't want him back after
he served a suspension.

3. Joey Galloway

The Cowboys traded two first-round picks to Seattle for him in
2000. Seattle turned those picks into RB Shaun Alexander and WR
Koren Robinson. In his three-plus seasons with the Cowboys,
Galloway tore a knee ligament and ended up with 151 catches for
2,341 yards. Robinson had 182 catches for 2,672 yards in his first
three seasons with Seattle. Alexander? He rushed for 2,806 yards
and 32 TDs.

4. Cowboys QBs

From Troy Aikman's retirement until Tony Romo's ascent,
quarterback was a wasteland for Dallas. Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf,
Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson (not
even the best QB named Drew of the decade), Chad Hutchinson and
Drew Bledsoe compiled a composite 72.1 passer rating. The Cowboys
ranked 29th of 32 NFL teams in the void between Aikman and
Romo.

5. John Hart

Committed $111 million to free agents in his first winter as the
Rangers' general manager, and every one of them tanked. He then
jettisoned players like Doug Davis, Ryan Ludwick, Travis Hafner and
Justin Duchscherer. After criticism mounted for putting together
consecutive 90-loss teams, Hart went underground.

6. Raef LaFrentz

Came to the Mavericks in a blockbuster deal in the middle of the
2001-02 season and signed a seven-year, $70 million deal in the
off-season. Then he lasted one more season here, contributing 9.3
points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Another in the Mavs' long list of
failed attempts at a defensive presence in the middle.

7. Leon Smith

Speaking of failed big men, the Mavericks acquired Smith from
Chicago after the 1999 draft. He never played for them before his
February 2000 release, but he did throw a rock through a car
window, swallow 250 aspirin tablets and spend time in a psychiatric
ward.

8. Pierre Turgeon

In the final days of the NHL's free-spending era, the Stars got
Turgeon for five years at $25 million to replace Brett Hull as a
scoring threat. Turgeon had 12 seasons with at least 60 points
before joining the Stars; he didn't reach 50 in any of his three
seasons with Dallas.

9. Mike Vanderjagt

He signed a three-year contract to stabilize a shaky kicking
game in 2006. He made 13 of 18 field goal attempts, and after
missing twice against Indianapolis in Week 11, his image was booed
when it appeared in a commercial on the Texas Stadium video boards.
He was cut after the game.

10. Pacman Jones

Locals wasted a lot of precious ink wringing their hands over
Jones. His biggest contribution to the Dallas scene was getting in
a fistfight with his bodyguard at the Hotel Joule. On the field, he
wasn't nearly as physical.

COMPELLING PERSONALITIES

1. Mark Cuban

Made a fortune, bought an NBA team and took it to the Finals,
wrestled, danced on TV, worked the counter at a Dairy Queen. He
also may have had a disagreement or two with NBA officials. Ernest
Hemingway wished he had a decade this eventful.

2. Jerry Jones

Like a pharaoh or Roman emperor, Jones built himself a lavish
palace. But those others were usually to commemorate a monumental
victory. Jones had none of those this decade. Jerry knows how to
make headlines even if he hasn't shown he knows how to construct a
playoff winner.

3. Tony Romo

Cowboys quarterback plus relationships with singing beauties
Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson make for a compelling story.
Fans would be more compelled by a playoff win.

4. Terrell Owens

Whether he was stomping on the Texas Stadium star (2000),
romancing Nicollette Sheridan (as an Eagle before a 2004 game
against the Cowboys), encouraging Cowboy fans to get their popcorn
or feuding with various Dallas teammates, he held your
attention.

5. Dirk Nowtizki

Even though he was victimized by Cristal Taylor, Dirk's
personality is pretty boring to the outside world. He's on this
list purely for performance reasons. But how could you have a list
of area sports personalities without him?

6. Tom Hicks

Started the decade by giving out the biggest contract in sports
history and ended it by putting the Rangers up for sale to shed
debt, much of which was created by that $252 million contract he
gave Alex Rodriguez.

7. Bill Parcells

In terms of NFL experience, no Cowboys coach arrived in town
with better experience - and that includes Tom Landry. But during
Parcells' four seasons, the big question was what would ultimately
drive a wedge between his larger-than-life personality and that of
Jerry Jones. Answer: No. 4 on our list.

8. Bob Knight

When you stop doing what you are most famous for (coaching) and
can still make headlines - most recently for suggesting John
Calipari lacks integrity - you obviously are a compelling
personality.

9. Josh Howard

He certainly knew how to make headlines, but for all the wrong
reasons - like a birthday party during the playoffs, admitting to
getting high and mocking the national anthem. He's known more for
that than his rather impressive basketball skills.

10. Alex Rodriguez

He was supposed to become the face of the Rangers franchise -
that was part of the $252 million contract he signed - but he's
probably best remembered for saying he didn't want to play with "24
kids" shortly after being traded to the Yankees. No visiting
player, in any sport, gets a less hospitable welcome to the
area.

BEST SEASONS

1. 2005 Texas football

The Longhorns went undefeated, averaged 50 points per game, won
the school's first national championship in 35 years and did it by
winning the Game of the Century in the final minute. What's not to
like?

2. 2005-06 Mavericks

The Mavs reached the NBA Finals for the first time and, if not
for a certain former mayor announcing the championship parade route
after two games, they might just be atop this list.

3. 2009 Texas football

Potentially a week away from being tied for second on the list.
But this team has been nowhere near as dominant as the 2005
champions. And there is still the little issue of Alabama's defense
to tackle.

4. 2009 TCU football

Just as in the final BCS rankings this season, the Horned Frogs
are fourth. They certainly deserve to be in the discussion, just
not atop the list.

5. 2007-08 Stars

There were Stars teams that compiled more points in the regular
season, but playoff hockey is what it's all about. The '07-08 team
went to the conference finals and, after falling behind 3-0 to
Detroit, won two games to make it interesting.

6. 2004 Southlake Carroll football

Which of the Dragons' three state championship/national
championship teams to pick is quite a predicament. How about the
team that started it all? Chase Daniel led the winning drive and
Kevin Ortega kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to beat
Smithson Valley, 27-24.

7. 2009 Euless Trinity football

Maybe the most surprising of Trinity's three state championships
in the decade. The Trojans began the season 1-2, then won 14
consecutive games on the way to the title. Fittingly, they came
from two touchdowns down to beat Austin Westlake in overtime in the
title game.

8. 2005 Highland Park football

Led by QB Matthew Stafford, the Scots rolled to their first
undefeated, untied season. They capped things off by drubbing
Marshall, 59-0, in the state title game.

9. 2001-02 Lincoln boys basketball

With Chris Bosh in the middle, Lincoln capped a 40-0 season with
a 20-point win in the 4A championship game. Lincoln also was named
USA Today's national champion.

10. 2004 Texas Rangers

Should we go with a 13-3 Cowboys team that lost in the first
round of the playoffs? Or a Rangers team expected to finish last
that ended up winning 89 games? We'll go with the pleasant
surprise.

SHOCKING STORIES

1. Baylor basketball saga

As if the 2003 disappearance and murder of basketball player
Patrick Dennehy weren't enough, it was only the start of a scandal
that revealed drug use, recruiting violations, coaches paying
tuition and players encouraged to lie to investigators. It resulted
in five years of NCAA probation and the end of Dave Bliss' college
coaching career.

2. Dirk victimized

This first sentence from a September 2009 story about the woman
removed from Dirk Nowitzki's house months earlier kind of says it
all: "Cristal Taylor, the incarcerated former fiancée of
Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, is not pregnant - contrary to what
she and her attorneys had been saying since shortly after her
arrest in May."

3. Cowboys' facility collapse

A severe windstorm blew down the fabric and steel tent while
players and staff were inside it in May. Scouting assistant Rich
Behm was paralyzed and special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered
broken vertebrae. Subsequent investigations revealed building code
violations and resulted in lawsuits against the construction
companies.

4. The 100-0 rout

On the court in January, Covenant beat Dallas Academy, 100-0, in
a girls basketball game. In the court of public opinion, it was a
disaster for Covenant coach Micah Grimes. Shortly after he posted a
response to Covenant's public apology for running up the score, he
was dismissed.

5. Hicks' empire goes bust

At the beginning of the decade, Tom Hicks threatened to crash
the billionaire baseball owners' big-spenders club with the $252
million contract he gave Alex Rodriguez. By the end, his empire was
a tale of the economic times. He was forced to negotiate the sale
of controlling interest in the Rangers to escape massive debt
incurred by Hicks Sports Group.

6. Romo's love life

Face it, you know more about Romo's dating - and dumping -
Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson than about his passer rating.
His biggest trip of the decade wasn't to the end zone, but to Cabo
with Simpson's family.

7. Rangers muscling up?

When Jose Canseco's juicy tell-all steroids saga came out in
2005, it pointed fingers at former Rangers Ivan Rodriguez, Juan
Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro later became the biggest
name ever to test positive for steroids. In 2009, Alex Rodriguez
acknowledged doing steroids, but only during the three years he was
with Texas.

8. Dwayne Goodrich arrested

Maybe one of the saddest Cowboys stories ever. In January 2003,
after a night at a topless club, Goodrich slammed into and killed
two men trying to help a motorist escape a burning car. Goodrich
was going 110 mph. He fled the scene but was tracked down and
convicted of two counts of criminally negligent homicide. He is
still in prison.

9. T.O. ODs

Allergic reaction? Suicide attempt? Accidental overdose? A month
into Owens' first season with the Cowboys, the city became exposed
to the kind of drama that surrounds the wide receiver. All that is
certain is he was taken to a hospital after ingesting some
hydrocodone. And that his soon-to-be-fired publicist suggested
Owens, owner of a $25 million contract, would never attempt suicide
because he had "25 million reasons to live."

10. Belfour's bribe

After becoming boisterous, an intoxicated Belfour put one of The
Mansion's security guards in a headlock when the guard tried to
escort him out of the hotel in March 2000. It took pepper spray
from police officers to subdue him, resulting in a charge of
resisting arrest. On the way to jail, Belfour reportedly offered
the officers "$1 billion" to forget the incident.

BIGGEST DEALS

1. Cowboys Stadium built (2009)

Call it whatever you want - Jerry World, The Death Star, Planet
Jerrywood - but make sure you describe the $1.15 billion stadium as
the hallmark for a generation.

2. Alex Rodriguez signs (2000)

By ponying up $252 million - $100 million more than anybody else
offered - Rangers owner Tom Hicks signaled to the world that he
planned to go toe to toe with baseball's biggest spenders.

3. Alex Rodriguez traded (2004)

Then Hicks signaled he was no longer in that game. The Rangers
got Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias from the Yankees and agreed
to pay a hefty portion of Rodriguez's salary for four years.

4. Mark Teixeira traded (2007)

The baseball version of the Herschel Walker deal. Young Rangers
general manager Jon Daniels got Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Jarrod
Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones from Atlanta's John
Schuerholz, who was desperate for one last playoff run.

5. Jamie Langenbrunner traded (2002)

On the way to missing the playoffs for the first time in six
seasons, the Stars made a deadline deal to scramble their team,
sending Langenbrunner and future GM Joe Niewenduyk to New Jersey
for Jason Arnott. It didn't help. Langenbrunner is in his third
season as the Devils' captain.

6. Steve Nash signs - with Phoenix (2004)

The Mavericks wouldn't match Phoenix's six-year, $63 million
offer. Nash went on to win two MVP awards with the Suns while the
Mavs embarked on a long, often fruitless search for a replacement
point guard.

7. Bill Parcells arrives (2003)

In total dollars, it wasn't such a big deal ($17.1 million for
four years). What was significant was Cowboys owner Jerry Jones'
agreeing to turn over control of his team to an autonomous
coach.

8. Terrell Owens signs (2006)

Maybe the strongest sign that Parcells had lost his autonomy was
the three-year, $25 million deal Jones gave Owens. It took one
season with Owens to drive Parcells back into retirement.

9. Joey Galloway acquired (2000)

How bad was this trade with Seattle, in which the Cowboys
surrendered two first-round draft choices? It makes the Roy
Williams trade look like a good deal in comparison.

10. Jason Kidd acquired (2008)

Still desperate for a point guard four years after Nash left,
the Mavericks brought Kidd back in a midseason deal that was so
complicated, it took a week from the time it was agreed on to work
out all the details. The trade included the Mavs sending retired
Keith Van Horn to New Jersey to satisfy salary-cap issues.

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